Preventing Disinformation in Electoral Processes in Fiji

In late November 2024, representatives from several Fijian-based organizations signed a Terms of Reference to form a working group on preventing disinformation in electoral processes in Fiji. The group, which consists of the Fijian Elections Office, Fiji Media Association, Fiji Media Council, FemLink Pacific, Pacific Centre for Peacebuilding, Online Safety Commission, and the Electoral Commission of Fiji, has agreed to hold meetings once a month, with a rotating chair that will review and discuss past and future activities that cover the information environment in Fiji throughout the electoral cycle. 

Moving forward, the group will focus on four priority areas. These include engagement with Civil Society Organizations, Information and effective communication, capacity development coordination, online safety awareness, and addressing misinformation and disinformation. These four areas were agreed upon as part of a mapping and roadmap exercise in Suva organized by International IDEA in December 2023 and May 2024. 

While the initial workshops uncovered a wide range of risks and potential strategies for a protective infrastructure, several additional meetings were held to help identify a more focused set of commitments aligned with all stakeholders' common working capacities and policies. To date, the working group has held two meetings, and the next is expected to take place in mid-December 2024.

 

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The workshop is part of a comprehensive project designed to enhance the protection of electoral processes in the information environment. The project consists of three key phases: (1) a Mapping Workshop focused on mapping the information environment and its actors, (2) a Roadmap Workshop serving as a starting point for developing strategic roadmaps to enhance the protection of electoral processes from information environment threats, and (3) an Implementation Workshop where initial steps are taken to put the developed roadmap into action. 

Informed by global best practices and exchanges between partner countries, the project will enable national actors to identify suggestions for the way forward, work towards implementing suggestions, and share lessons learned with global audiences. The project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by International IDEA.